The Easy Way
by Xx-Sayomi-xX
Summary: Life is never easy, so why would love be? Sakura knew that fact and yet when love found her it wasn't what she thought it would be. The easy way would be to give in, but she just can't do that. Not to criminals. Sakucentric AU


It was never meant to be easy. The best things in life never were. I'd learned this at a young age, and it had never changed since. Reality was cold and harsh. But yet, sometimes I dared to hope, to dream, that one day things would be better.

That one day I wouldn't have to feel the freezing wind on my back or the sting of the whip. That one day I would be _free_.

I would never be free. They had told me as such the day I had been taken away. Away from my family and friends, away from my home, away from innocence and everything I had ever known.

That was the day I had ceased to believe in love too. I didn't know that fate had other plans for me. That one day love would find me, even if I tried to fight it. Some things just happen for a reason.

I was nine when I first met one of them. He was only a few years older than me and quite reminded me of my old friend Ino. Deidara was his name and he was to be used for his explosives knowledge. Deidara knew his bombs apparently and that was why he was valuable. I had my unique hair color and medic skills.

One of the most interesting things about him was the fact that in the middle of each of his palms was a mouth. They would chew the C4 he was given and then they could use it to make thing explode.

The next one to come was Itachi. Silent and cold he reminded me of another I had known. Deidara had Ino's hair and looks along with Naruto's eyes. Itachi looked like Sasuke Uchiha, the most popular boy at the time in my school. He had been my age and a silent, broody, jerk. Strangely enough I missed even him. While he had taunted and picked on me at least he was part of _home_. I missed my home, my darling mother and laughing father. I missed it every dreaming moment, when I was awake I was usually too tired to miss them, the only thing that I was thankful for.

Itachi was an assassin and fire user. He could breathe it sometimes, and had a bloodline trait, the Sharingan. He had unlocked something called a 'Mangekyo Sharingan' and that was why they wanted him. Apparently he had untold power with it. That left me wondering why he had let himself come here then, why he would let them hurt him so… I never found out, I never had the courage to ask him.

Then the sadist Hidan. He had silver hair and lavender eyes. The man was an immortal who enjoyed the pain of others. The god he worshiped 'Jashin' had granted him immortality and I didn't have to ask him to know _why_ he was there. He enjoyed killing and worked for them willingly. I didn't know why he was with the lower classes until they brought his severed head and body to me, while he was still alive I had to fix him. I still didn't like Hidan.

Then Kisame came. The swords man looked like a big, blue shark. I kid the not. He was the nicest to come, sometimes it seemed he generally like me. He was partnered with Itachi, the silent one.

Then came Kazuku the money lover and Hidan's partner, a near immortal. Sasori was next; he had turned himself into a living puppet. He kept staring at me and scared me. Orochimaru the snake master had originally been his partner until he betrayed the organization and left. Zetsu was two colors split his body strait down, right between the eyes. Half his body was black in skin tone the other white. He had grass, at least I think it was grass colored; it had been so long since I had seen grass, colored hair and yellow eyes. Zetsu had a split personality, one for each side of him. The black side was more serious, violent and knowledgeable if he was polite to you and the white side while it spoke freely was carefree and easygoing or so it seemed. He held strange conversations with himself. Growing up from around his shoulders was a giant Venus fly-trap that extended way above his head. Zetsu ate people.

Finally there was Tobi. The man wore an orange lollipop like mask and acted like a child. He frightened me more than Hidan sometimes. He was hiding something big, like the fact the only 'real' part of him was his spiky black hair and one eye hole in the mask, but it was too dark to see the eye that hid with in it. From speaking in third person to his insistence he was a 'Good boy' Tobi was scary.

The organization was large and violent. Their goal was world domination. If they succeeded I would never be free.

It all started when an opposing group attacked the base where we were stationed. A place known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves or the Leaf Village for quickness, a place that sounded familiar in my ears, like a forgotten whisper of the wind, had attacked the Red Dawn or Akatsuki.

I was left alone in the 'hospital', I always was. Who cared about the medic, no one, not even the people whose lives she saved.

A blur of yellow hair that I mistook for Deidara until he stopped. His eyes were like Deidara's, a startling blue that I thought reminded me of the sky on a sunny day. Three whisker like marks were on each of his cheeks. He was also strangely familiar. I stared at him, cocking my head to the side as I did. Kisame liked to say I looked like a demented bird when I did that, or he did until I asked him what a bird was. Then he didn't say that anymore…

"Sakura-chan?" The boy spoke. I blinked.

"Who are you?" I question him; he looks hurt for a second before smiling brightly. His smile is what I imagine the sun would smile like.

"Uzumaki Naruto at your service Sakura-chan! Now let's take you home." With that he knocks me out and as I fade into peaceful darkness carries me away.

When I wake it's in a real hospital. Not the silly make-shift one I had made in Red Dawn's base. I'm being looked over by a woman with blond hair and gigantic breast. Leaving me wondering if they are real or not and if anyone misses me back there - in hell. Maybe here I'd get a chance to be a child again.

"Haruno Sakura that is your name correct?" A smaller dark haired woman asks me from the foot of the bed. I nod. She grins at me, grinning never means anything good so I'm scared.

The blond seems to notice this and sends the other from the room. I stare at her, unblinking. "Naruto brought you back, Sakura, did you know this was the village where you were born?" She questions me.

I shake my head no. This was where I was from? That meant that the Naruto I had met had been the shy little boy I had played with, the one who everyone else picked on and I barely remembered except for Deidara's eyes…

"Really?" My voice trembles a bit and I'm angry with myself, I know not to cry – it's only a weakness. "This is my home." I speak again quietly and almost smile at the thought, I have a home.

Naruto burst into the room soon after that thought and smiled at me with his ever present smile. "How are you Sakura-chan?" His voice was loud and cheerful.

Laughing I responded. "You never gave up on me, even after all these years. I'm good Naruto. I'm good." I had to say it twice, once for him and once for me. I was good.

"Of course I didn't Sakura-chan; friends never give up on each other." His voice is proud, and I am grateful to have a friend like him.

We sit and talk until the blond lady, Tsunade, tells me I can go. Naruto says I can stay with him, so we begin the trek to his apartment. On the way we pass may faces and places, some I think I remember. But the memories slip away like water through my fingers.

"Is that… The, ramen place you liked?" I ask him quietly and unsure. Naruto smiles and nods.

"Yeah Sakura-chan, do you want some?" His voice is soft for once and I am grateful.

"Yes." My answer is immediate because I haven't had ramen for years and it smells delicious.

A few weeks pass and I'm growing to love the Leaf Village. It's nice, peaceful and happy. I should have known though, this peace couldn't last. The Akatsuki attacked us – all of the ones who shared an area with me; Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, Kisame, Kazuku, Hidan, Zetsu and even Tobi were there. My happy place was going to be destroyed by them.

During my few weeks of joy, Naruto and his team; a sensei who was always late called Kakashi, Itachi's younger brother Sasuke and a very emotionally deprived one called Sai; I had been training. Tsunade had taught me too. I may not have been strong enough to beat the Akatsuki up, but I sure could try.

I raced up to Naruto. "Sasuke-san will attack Itachi, you should avoid Kisame – his sword absorbs charka." I whisper, I don't want him to die. He's my friend and Naruto always tell me that we have to protect our friends. Friends were there for each other. With that thought in mind I charged into battle. I wouldn't go back there, at least not without a fight.

The first one I ran into was Deidara. He looked shocked to see me. I smiled grimly. He was attacking my home and he would be stopped. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I made my way up to his clay bird and jumped onto it.

He stared at me; I took his momentary distraction and acted. The blow I landed on the bird had it cracking and falling apart. I jumped off and waited to see what he would do.

Ino rushed up to me at that moment. Shikamaru was hurt and needed help. I went; Deidara could take care of himself.

I ran to where Shikamaru was, and stopped myself from running into Hidan and Kazuku. Eyes widening I stared. Shikamaru was indeed there and in trouble. But why wouldn't have Ino have protected him or at least stayed to help? I didn't know, but there was no time to worry about that – Hidan's scythe was about to hit him. Running I jumped and managed to knock Hidan off balance. He missed and fell into Kazuku.

I jumped back and near Shikamaru, I didn't want to be close to them when they got back up. "Don't let him get any of your blood." Telling Shikamaru this might just help us survive. A brief nod of his head tells me he understands.

"You!" Hidan exclaims and points at me. Kazuku reaches and pulls down his arm.

"Pointing is rude." Do the wonders never cease? Kazuku standing up, in a strange way, for me.

I ignored it. We had a village to protect.

Hidan swore. He liked to swear I think. Kazuku used his hair; it came from stitches all over his body and under his mask, and attacked. Hidan ran at us swinging his weapon. We jumped back and dodged the attacks.

This was getting frustrating. Finally the battle was done. I didn't like the out come though. Kazuku's hair had caught me and Shikamaru was unconscious.

This was not going to end well… Soon I joined Shikamaru in the blissful realm of the unconscious. When I awoke I was back in hell, with Tobi sitting right next to me.

"SAKURA-CHAN'S AWAKE!" He shouted when I opened my eyes, right next to my ear. I struggled with the blankets for a second before freeing my arms and pushing him off the bed. That's the scene the rest of the Akatsuki walked in on, or at least the Red Dawn I knew.

They were all staring at me and it was starting to frighten me. They had never shown such interest in me before; now that they were it was odd.

Worry was my prominent emotion.

"Why'd you leave squirt?" Kisame was the first to speak and he demanded an answer.

"I wanted to see what a bird was." The answer, simple enough was true in its own way. I had wanted to see what a bird was but that's not why I had left.

"Really?" Was Sasori's dry voice. I just nodded. I didn't have to tell them anything.

I knew they didn't believe me, but they didn't have to. I didn't care.

"That was mean what you did to me, un." Deidara complained. I ignored him.

"So?"

Deidara was stunned, I could tell. I had never spoken to anyone there like that.

I smirked.

"You know we love you, right?" Itachi spoke. I was stunned.

What was I to do now? Love, such a strange concept, not something I knew how to deal with. Especially with these cruel, overly possessive men being the ones in love with me…

AN: Hope this will keep you all satisfied. I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow (the 29th) and won't be able to update anything for a while. Hope anyone who reads Little Flower or Fruit Cake likes this. I dunno if I'll update it unless something major is preventing updates on other things.


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